Adjacent Words

Parson definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PARSON, n. p`arsn.
1. The priest of a parish or ecclesiastical society; the rector or incumbent of a parish, who has the parochial charge or cure of souls. It is used in this sense by all denominations of christians; but among independents or congregationalists it is merely a colloquial word.
2. A clergyman; a man that is in orders or has been licensed to preach.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a person authorized to conduct religious worship; "clergymen are usually called ministers in Protestant churches" [syn: curate, minister of religion, minister, parson, pastor, rector]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English persone, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin persona, literally, person, from Latin Date: 13th century 1. rector 2. clergyman; especially a Protestant pastor

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a rector. 2 a vicar or any beneficed member of the clergy. 3 colloq. any (esp. Protestant) member of the clergy. Phrases and idioms: parson's nose the piece of fatty flesh at the rump of a fowl. Derivatives: parsonical adj. Etymology: ME person(e), parson f. OF persone f. L persona PERSON (in med.L rector)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Parson Par"son, n. [OE. persone person, parson, OF. persone, F. personne person, LL. persona (sc. ecclesiae), fr. L. persona a person. See Person.] 1. (Eng. Eccl. Law) A person who represents a parish in its ecclesiastical and corporate capacities; hence, the rector or incumbent of a parochial church, who has full possession of all the rights thereof, with the cure of souls. 2. Any clergyman having ecclesiastical preferment; one who is in orders, or is licensed to preach; a preacher. He hears the parson pray and preach. --Longfellow. Parson bird (Zo["o]l.), a New Zealand bird (Prosthemadera Nov[ae]seelandi[ae]) remarkable for its powers of mimicry and its ability to articulate words. Its color is glossy black, with a curious tuft of long, curly, white feathers on each side of the throat. It is often kept as a cage bird.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(parsons) A parson is a priest in the Church of England with responsibility for a small local area, or can be used to refer to any clergyman in some other churches. (OLD-FASHIONED) N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Parish priest, rector, incumbent. 2. Minister, priest, clergyman, pastor, ecclesiastic, churchman, divine.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A guide post, hand or finger post by the road side for directing travellers: compared to a parson, because, like him, it sets people in the right way. See GUIDE POST. He that would have luck in horse-flesh, must kiss a parson's wife.

Moby Thesaurus

DD, Doctor of Divinity, Holy Joe, abbe, chaplain, churchman, clergyman, cleric, clerical, clerk, curate, cure, divine, ecclesiastic, man of God, military chaplain, minister, padre, pastor, rector, reverend, servant of God, shepherd, sky pilot, supply clergy, supply minister, the Reverend, the very Reverend, tonsured cleric